Title: Blue Vinyl Director: Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand Release year: 2002
What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
The narrative of this film is about director Judith Helfand on a mission to find out where vinyl comes from and what impacts in can have on human health and the environment. She is inspired to do so after her parents decide to replace the wood siding on their house with blue vinyl. After surviving cancer caused by DES, a synthetic estrogen and anti-miscarriage drug prescribed to her mother and millions of other women, Helfand is skeptical about anything that contains many chemicals, including vinyl. She explores how and where vinyl is made, why there aren’t warnings about this material, and alternative types of siding. This film opens a jar of worms about a topic I never really thought about as a sustainability problem. If you didn’t know that vinyl was harmful you will be shocked by the cases that Helfand discovers.
How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?
The narrative is sustained through following Helfand to Lake Charles, Louisiana, which is the vinyl capital of America, and then to Venice, Italy as she investigates the vinyl industry and the lives that it has affected. She tried to tour a vinyl plant, but was not allowed in, so she talked to an attorney who represents vinyl chloride workers with health problems who is gathering information to sue the vinyl companies. He provided Helfand with information about case studies of people reporting serious health problems after working in vinyl plants. In Venice, scientific data is presented when Helfand meets with a chemist who was hired by the vinyl industry to study the effects of certain chemicals on rats. He explained that in his findings a specific liver disease was linked to chemicals used in vinyl plants along with cancer. She then sat in on a court case in which the government was charging key executives of one vinyl company with manslaughter because they did not release information to their workers about the harmful effects of the chemicals in the plants, which eventually led to the death of many men. Finally, Helfand goes to California to explore sustainable siding and house building materials as an alternative to vinyl. The film is filled with emotional appeal because Helfand meets a man living with health problems and widows of many men who died after working in vinyl plants. This approach has a strong impact and the evidence cannot be denied when everyone working in a plant has died of or is contracting the same illnesses.
What sustainability problems does the film draw out? Political? Legal? Economic? Technological? Media and Informational? Organizational? Educational? Behavioral? Cultural? Ecological?
This film draws out nearly all of the above mentioned sustainability problems. It is a political sustainability problem that regulations have not been put in place at a governmental level to protect people working in vinyl plants. Legal problems arise when it is revealed that companies knowingly exposed workers to chemicals that would kill them without warning them of the danger. Economic problems can be found when considering what a large economic force the vinyl industry is and that vinyl ends up being one of the least expensive siding options for a house. Technological problems need to be considered because we are making harmful materials when we have such knowledge and resources to make sustainable products. Media and Informational sustainability problems can be seen in the advertising of how great and durable vinyl is without any information about the chemicals it contains or the unsustainable process involved in making it. This makes people unaware of what they are wrapping their houses in. Culturally, our society perceives vinyl as a normal part of life and we all picture the ‘American Dream’ two-story house with vinyl siding. Watching this film it is overwhelming how much is wrong with a material that we thought we were so familiar with.
What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
The part of the film that I found most compelling was when Helfand talked to the Italian women whose husbands died from cancer and other illnesses contracted from working in a vinyl plant. It was heart wrenching to hear that all along, for over 25 years, these men had no idea that their job was slowly killing them. Specifically, one woman recounts being at a company celebration in which they recognized her husband for such great work and dedication in the plant for so many years. Only come to find out later that the executives rewarding her husband knew that he would likely become sick from the work he was doing and they did nothing about it. She was one of the women sitting in on the court case years later waiting and hoping for justice for her husband. No data, statistics, or claims can compete with such an honest story told from life experiences.
What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?
I was not convinced about how vinyl can safely be disposed of or recycled. The film did not address this point very well, which is a critical piece of the lifecycle. If everyone with vinyl siding wanted to replace it with a safer and more sustainable alternative, what would the world do with all that vinyl? Since it can’t be burned without releasing toxic chemicals, an alternative must be proposed to get rid of it.
What audiences does the film best address? Why?
The film addresses most audiences because it presents information from the perspective of an average person who didn’t know that much about vinyl before creating this film. The emotional appeal and scientific information easily convinces viewers that vinyl is a problem. I think the film is particularly valuable to watch if considering getting new siding for your house. As someone concerned with sustainability problems, Blue Vinyl opened my eyes to a new issue and should be seen by anyone interested in learning more about environmental and health problems in our society.
What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
I think it would have been beneficial if the film provided some historical background about vinyl and how it became so ingrained in our culture without anyone knowing the problems it causes. It would be interesting to see if a small change years ago could have led us down a much more sustainable path and convinced us to put something better on the side of our houses. Adding this information would enhance the films environmental educational value by establishing how we got our current perspective of vinyl.
What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.
Blue Vinyl investigates alternative house building and siding materials being used in California. Helfand suggests that people like her parents and the viewers exchange vinyl siding for a much more sustainable material like stucco, hay bales, sustainably harvested wood, or recycled products. With regards to disposing of vinyl, Helfand simply says to ‘safely dispose’ of it. The film also urges people to recognize problems like this in society and to personally make conscious decisions that help others and the environment.
What additional information has the film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references.)
This film compelled me to seek out more information about the court case in Venice, Italy in which the government was attempting to charge individual executives from Enichem with manslaughter after the death of many former employees. The case was instigated in 1994 when a retired PVC worker approached a public prosecutor claiming that the chemical company was negligent and that many workers were getting sick. The trial started in 1998 and ended in 2001 with an unfortunate result that 28 senior managers between Enichem and Montedison were acquitted of charges of manslaughter and environmental disaster. Although the result was not as desired, the case still put chemical executives in a negative spotlight and brought attention to the fact that 257 people died from working in the industry. http://archive.greenpeace.org/pressreleases/toxics/2001nov2.html
Another piece of information that this film compelled me to seek out was what other products contain polyvinyl chloride. Some building materials that contain PVC include insulation, pipes, electricity cables, window frames, and roofing membranes. Products like TVs, refrigerators, dishwashers, light fittings, carpet, floor tiles, venetian blinds, shower curtains, water bottles, food packaging, some furniture, water beds, boots, bags, luggage, toys, hoses, office supplies, and tarps all contain PVC in some form. From this list is it apparent that vinyl has become an integral part of our lives and it is nearly impossible to avoid. It will take long sustained efforts to replace the PVC in these products with more environmentally friendly and healthy materials. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/toxics/polyvinyl-chloride/pvc-products/
Annotation #7
Word Count: 1,504
Title: Blue Vinyl
Director: Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand
Release year: 2002
What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
The narrative of this film is about director Judith Helfand on a mission to find out where vinyl comes from and what impacts in can have on human health and the environment. She is inspired to do so after her parents decide to replace the wood siding on their house with blue vinyl. After surviving cancer caused by DES, a synthetic estrogen and anti-miscarriage drug prescribed to her mother and millions of other women, Helfand is skeptical about anything that contains many chemicals, including vinyl. She explores how and where vinyl is made, why there aren’t warnings about this material, and alternative types of siding. This film opens a jar of worms about a topic I never really thought about as a sustainability problem. If you didn’t know that vinyl was harmful you will be shocked by the cases that Helfand discovers.
How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?
The narrative is sustained through following Helfand to Lake Charles, Louisiana, which is the vinyl capital of America, and then to Venice, Italy as she investigates the vinyl industry and the lives that it has affected. She tried to tour a vinyl plant, but was not allowed in, so she talked to an attorney who represents vinyl chloride workers with health problems who is gathering information to sue the vinyl companies. He provided Helfand with information about case studies of people reporting serious health problems after working in vinyl plants. In Venice, scientific data is presented when Helfand meets with a chemist who was hired by the vinyl industry to study the effects of certain chemicals on rats. He explained that in his findings a specific liver disease was linked to chemicals used in vinyl plants along with cancer. She then sat in on a court case in which the government was charging key executives of one vinyl company with manslaughter because they did not release information to their workers about the harmful effects of the chemicals in the plants, which eventually led to the death of many men. Finally, Helfand goes to California to explore sustainable siding and house building materials as an alternative to vinyl. The film is filled with emotional appeal because Helfand meets a man living with health problems and widows of many men who died after working in vinyl plants. This approach has a strong impact and the evidence cannot be denied when everyone working in a plant has died of or is contracting the same illnesses.
What sustainability problems does the film draw out? Political? Legal? Economic? Technological? Media and Informational? Organizational? Educational? Behavioral? Cultural? Ecological?
This film draws out nearly all of the above mentioned sustainability problems. It is a political sustainability problem that regulations have not been put in place at a governmental level to protect people working in vinyl plants. Legal problems arise when it is revealed that companies knowingly exposed workers to chemicals that would kill them without warning them of the danger. Economic problems can be found when considering what a large economic force the vinyl industry is and that vinyl ends up being one of the least expensive siding options for a house. Technological problems need to be considered because we are making harmful materials when we have such knowledge and resources to make sustainable products. Media and Informational sustainability problems can be seen in the advertising of how great and durable vinyl is without any information about the chemicals it contains or the unsustainable process involved in making it. This makes people unaware of what they are wrapping their houses in. Culturally, our society perceives vinyl as a normal part of life and we all picture the ‘American Dream’ two-story house with vinyl siding. Watching this film it is overwhelming how much is wrong with a material that we thought we were so familiar with.
What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
The part of the film that I found most compelling was when Helfand talked to the Italian women whose husbands died from cancer and other illnesses contracted from working in a vinyl plant. It was heart wrenching to hear that all along, for over 25 years, these men had no idea that their job was slowly killing them. Specifically, one woman recounts being at a company celebration in which they recognized her husband for such great work and dedication in the plant for so many years. Only come to find out later that the executives rewarding her husband knew that he would likely become sick from the work he was doing and they did nothing about it. She was one of the women sitting in on the court case years later waiting and hoping for justice for her husband. No data, statistics, or claims can compete with such an honest story told from life experiences.
What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?
I was not convinced about how vinyl can safely be disposed of or recycled. The film did not address this point very well, which is a critical piece of the lifecycle. If everyone with vinyl siding wanted to replace it with a safer and more sustainable alternative, what would the world do with all that vinyl? Since it can’t be burned without releasing toxic chemicals, an alternative must be proposed to get rid of it.
What audiences does the film best address? Why?
The film addresses most audiences because it presents information from the perspective of an average person who didn’t know that much about vinyl before creating this film. The emotional appeal and scientific information easily convinces viewers that vinyl is a problem. I think the film is particularly valuable to watch if considering getting new siding for your house. As someone concerned with sustainability problems, Blue Vinyl opened my eyes to a new issue and should be seen by anyone interested in learning more about environmental and health problems in our society.
What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
I think it would have been beneficial if the film provided some historical background about vinyl and how it became so ingrained in our culture without anyone knowing the problems it causes. It would be interesting to see if a small change years ago could have led us down a much more sustainable path and convinced us to put something better on the side of our houses. Adding this information would enhance the films environmental educational value by establishing how we got our current perspective of vinyl.
What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.
Blue Vinyl investigates alternative house building and siding materials being used in California. Helfand suggests that people like her parents and the viewers exchange vinyl siding for a much more sustainable material like stucco, hay bales, sustainably harvested wood, or recycled products. With regards to disposing of vinyl, Helfand simply says to ‘safely dispose’ of it. The film also urges people to recognize problems like this in society and to personally make conscious decisions that help others and the environment.
What additional information has the film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references.)
This film compelled me to seek out more information about the court case in Venice, Italy in which the government was attempting to charge individual executives from Enichem with manslaughter after the death of many former employees. The case was instigated in 1994 when a retired PVC worker approached a public prosecutor claiming that the chemical company was negligent and that many workers were getting sick. The trial started in 1998 and ended in 2001 with an unfortunate result that 28 senior managers between Enichem and Montedison were acquitted of charges of manslaughter and environmental disaster. Although the result was not as desired, the case still put chemical executives in a negative spotlight and brought attention to the fact that 257 people died from working in the industry.
http://archive.greenpeace.org/pressreleases/toxics/2001nov2.html
Another piece of information that this film compelled me to seek out was what other products contain polyvinyl chloride. Some building materials that contain PVC include insulation, pipes, electricity cables, window frames, and roofing membranes. Products like TVs, refrigerators, dishwashers, light fittings, carpet, floor tiles, venetian blinds, shower curtains, water bottles, food packaging, some furniture, water beds, boots, bags, luggage, toys, hoses, office supplies, and tarps all contain PVC in some form. From this list is it apparent that vinyl has become an integral part of our lives and it is nearly impossible to avoid. It will take long sustained efforts to replace the PVC in these products with more environmentally friendly and healthy materials.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/toxics/polyvinyl-chloride/pvc-products/